


Practice

by elsa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Everyone Thinks They're Together, First Time, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-16 09:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsa/pseuds/elsa
Summary: "Look, I'm offering to kiss you. Dozens of girls at school would probably faint just to have this chance." Iwaizumi still stared at him in silence, so Oikawa said, "Oh, come on, don't be shy about it. Don't you want to know what it's like?"Iwaizumi finally looked up. "You're serious," he said in amazement. "You want to know what it's like to kiss a boy?"~In which Oikawa keeps kissing his best friend, and maybe starts liking him a bit more than normal. Meanwhile, Iwaizumi tries to hold it together.





	1. Practice

So it started when Oikawa sprained his ankle very slightly during a weekend run, and had to sit out the next few volleyball practices -- which wasn't very fun at all. Iwaizumi led practice as vice captain, and Oikawa sat up in the stands a couple times and watched. 

He usually didn't pay attention at all to anyone in the stands, but at the end of one of them, one of the third-year girls came and started watching, too. She had a book bag with her, was extremely pretty, and had a very short skirt which she had to tug down. More noticeably, she completely ignored Oikawa except for a friendly, absent nod. At the end of practice, she met Iwaizumi at the door, and Oikawa heard her say "meet outside the gates in a bit? Alright, then." Iwaizumi said something and she laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Nice practice," Oikawa said, coming up behind him once she left. 

"Thanks. Go ahead, I'm not taking the bus today -- I'm studying with Hiroko after school -- the girl who just left."

"Why, Iwa-chan," Oikawa began teasingly.

"Oh, shut up." 

"Do you finally have a girlfriend?" 

"You're such a jerk." 

Oikawa teased him mercilessly it for all it was worth anyhow. Hiroko probably wasn't Iwaizumi's girlfriend, but she did seem to like Iwaizumi a lot, and came in for a couple practices to watch. Oikawa preened a bit, just because there were always girls there; but she was watching the practice. 

"Why are you talking about it, anyway?" Iwaizumi asked in annoyance when they were walking to the bus stop. "She's a nice girl from class, that's all." 

"Because you're my best friend, and how are you going to help me pick up girls when we're in college if you aren't dating one, you'd be completely useless." Iwaizumi had never had a girlfriend from Oikawa's memory, anyway. Iwaizumi was awfully reserved. He just needed some help. Really, who knew what he was going to do without Oikawa around. 

Iwaizumi stared at him. "I -- who talks like -- do you even hear yourself talk?" 

He just needs some time to get used to it, Oikawa decided. So the next week in the locker room, when Iwaizumi mentioned he was going to go to the local museum with a few friends for class, Oikawa pounced. 

"So that includes that pretty girl, right? Are you going out with her later?"

"We all might get something to eat afterwards. Seriously, she's just a friend."

"But she likes you," Oikawa said confidently. Iwaizumi glared at him, and Oikawa said, "Okay, okay, I believe you, she's not your girlfriend. When you DO have a girlfriend, you have to be really nice about it. Open doors for her, be a gentleman, kiss her in front of her house at the end of the night..."

"I have a hard time believing you do that. Have you ever even kissed a girl?" 

"Lots," Oikawa said with satisfaction. "If you need help, you ought to come to me." 

"I don't believe you." 

"I'm extremely good at it." 

"Yeah, right." 

"Just ask Aiko." 

"Are you still dating her? I thought she broke up with you weeks ago in a rage after you stood her up to practice serves." 

"No big deal. She totally still likes me." 

Iwaizumi finally met his eyes. "You're so vain," he said, and his voice dropped a bit, in affection. Odd, Oikawa thought. He hadn't seen Iwaizumi like that in a while. Now that he thought about it, Iwa-chan in high school had gotten so serious and practical and stolid. To the rest of the team Iwaizumi was the vice captain, who led their runs and arm wrestled and was gruff and practical about it all. Sometimes Oikawa felt like he was the only one who really knew him. 

But since Oikawa had gotten so hung up on winning Inter-High, he thought with a guilty start, Iwa-chan couldn't really relax around Oikawa, either. 

The locker room was empty; the rest of the team members had either left already or were in the gym squeezing in a few serves before cleaning up. 

"You can totally practice on me," Oikawa said generously. 

"What?" 

"Practice kissing, I mean." 

Iwaizumi stared at his locker for a moment then shoved his shirt in. "Are you insane?" he said evenly. "That would be really weird, wouldn't it? I think a stray volleyball must have hit you in the head too hard." 

"Look, I'm offering to kiss you. Dozens of girls at school would probably faint just to have this chance." Iwaizumi still stared at him in silence, so Oikawa said, "Oh, come on, don't be shy about it. You're going to really ruin it when you kiss a girl for the first time and you completely are clueless about what to do. Don't you want to know what it's like?"

Iwaizumi finally looked up. "You're serious," he said in amazement. "You want to know what it's like to kiss a boy?" 

"Sure. why not?" Oikawa gave him his best and most dazzling smile. 

"You'd better save that look for people who don't know you," said Iwaizumi.

"Oh, come on, Iwa-chan, give it a chance," Oikawa persisted. But still Iwaizumi didn't do anything. So Oikawa stepped forward. "Here," he said. He touched Iwaizumi's shoulder, then, after hesitating, leaned in and kissed him softly. Alright: maybe this was pointless, because this was definitely different from kissing a girl -- Iwaizumi's jaw was rough against his cheek and his shoulder felt hard under his hand and the thing he used on his hair smelled complex and a bit spicy and when Iwaizumi kissed him back even that felt like it reverberated on a lower level, trembling and growling in him deeper than he'd ever felt before. Oikawa let go. 

"So how was that?" he said, after he got his voice back, talking carefully. 

"I -- it was alright," Iwaizumi said. His face was very close; Oikawa could see his lips bitten and flushed, the pupil of his eye slowly darkening.

"Yeah, it wasn't -- um. my best," Oikawa said. 

"Um." 

Oikawa licked his lips. "Do you want to try that again?" 

"Yeah. I mean. Yes. I think so..." 

They both hesitated a bit at the same time. Oikawa leaned closer and wrapped his hand around Iwaizumi's waist and kissed him. Iwaizumi gasped, and Oikawa kissed him open mouthed, and Iwaizumi touched his cheek; then he put his arm around Oikawa, his fingers touching Oikawa's hair, pulling him closer; and it all felt new and unfamiliar, the scent and the pressure of his rough hand and the electricity sparking all around the nape of Oikawa's neck, shivering down his spine. 

The door to the locker room opened. They jerked apart, and Oikawa turned rapidly to the door. Kindaichi, the first year middle blocker, was standing in the doorway, staring at them with his eyes as wide as saucers. 

"Oh my god," Kindaichi squeaked. His hair had gone almost pointy and distinctly turnip-like in alarm.

Oikawa untangled his hand from Iwaizumi's shirt where he was gripping it. 

"I just -- um --" Kindaichi stammered. "I -- just came back because I -- left my backpack in front of my locker --" 

Oikawa stoically walked over to the locker room bench, picked up the backpack, and handed it to him without saying a word. Kindaichi's gaze switched frantically between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, who was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him; then he backed away slowly looking like he was trying to figure out whether to freak out, or if he had just seen a bizarre night-time hallucination; and then he said, "umm -- thanks, Oi-Oikawa-senpai," gripped the backpack very tightly, and promptly ran away, his footsteps clattering down the hall. 

"Well that went well," Iwaizumi said. He had straightened and was shoving clothes and gym shoes in his bag rapidly without looking. 

"Iwaizumi -- wait --" 

"I've-- I've got to go," Iwaizumi said, still not looking at him, and before Oikawa knew it the back exit door was swinging shut and he was alone. Oikawa's heart was pounding as if he had just finished a run, and he felt flushed and hectic. His legs felt a bit wobbly, and it wasn't because of that stupid ankle sprain. He ran his hand through his hair. He looked at the mirror. You couldn't tell -- he looked composed and normal. 

Fuck. What just happened? he thought, and looked at the locker bench. In his frantic hurry to leave, Iwaizumi had taken Oikawa's jacket. 


	2. Chapter 2

Matsukawa caught up with him some time during their next study break. They were in the classroom, and everyone was milling around and talking. 

"So what's going on, Oikawa?" he said as they were looking over calculus sets. "Are you frightening the first years again? Kindaichi looked freaked out after practice last week."

"Did he?" Oikawa said casually. 

"After cleanup he came back and asked me, 'is there anything going on between Oikawa and Iwaizumi-san?' I told him no, and why, but he just looked about to faint or have a heart attack or something."

This would be the perfect time to say something like "oh, Iwa-chan and I were just fooling around," but somehow the moment passed. 

"Anyway," Mattsun said, looking at him closely, "I told him that you and Iwaizumi were probably fighting again, or that you've gone on a psychotic break or something, and to act normal." 

"I have not gone on a psychotic break," Oikawa said indignantly. 

"Alright," Mattsun said slowly. In the corner of his eye, Oikawa could see several girls break away from their group and walk toward him with flirty surreptitious glances. "Oh, well hello," Mattsun instantly said, turning, always ready. Oikawa mustered a social smile. 

"Matsukawa-kun, Oikawa-kun, when are you boys going to play a volleyball game? We'll come to watch!" 

"You'll go to finals and win the tournament this year, I'll bet." 

When they finally left, giggling hopefully, Mattsun looked wistfully after them. "Kimiko is so cute," Matsun said. 

"Right," Oikawa said, a beat too slow. 

One of the tutors walked by, and they busied themselves with a calculus proof. Then Mattsun said, after a long pause, uncertainly, "Look, Oikawa, if there's anything important going on, you'd tell us, right?" 

"yeah, of course." 

"My god," Matsun said, "you and Iwaizumi really ARE fighting." 

"We're not fighting," Oikawa said firmly. 

. 

He and Iwaizumi weren't exactly fighting, but he hadn't seen Iwaizumi in a while, not at the bus stop or at any of their usual haunts, and it was starting to get uncommon -- usually not a day passed when they weren't walking home together, or exchanging insults in class.

Fine, Oikawa thought grouchily. If Iwaizumi was mad at him and didn't like it, that was fine too. No big DEAL or anything. Iwaizumi got mad at him lots of times. There were a long list of things Iwaizumi got mad at him about -- from Oikawa knocking over his butterfly collection when they were eight, to spiking a volleyball on his head too many times to count, to kidnapping him to volleyball camp with him when they were kids because Oikawa didn't want to be alone, even though Iwaizumi said he didn't want to go, and the whole thing was stupid, and that it was a sport for girls. Iwa-chan would have been a boring sad sack on the wrestling team if it weren't for Oikawa.

After school, he was sitting on the fence between some classrooms, trying to catch up with his schedule -- it was usually his favorite place, mostly because it was a good place to think, and pretty quiet. Then Iwaizumi came by, holding a volleyball. 

Oikawa waited for him to say something, like when he'd figured out that Oikawa was joking around; but Iwaizumi stopped and was silent.

"Hi," Oikawa said eventually.

Iwaizumi said, "What are you doing here? I thought you still had class." 

"Got out early. This is a quiet enough place anyway." There was a gusty wind, and Oikawa had to brace his foot against the fence, which started shaking. 

Iwaizumi stared at him, then said in exasperation, "You're going to twist your ankle again climbing on fences like that, don't you want to get back to practice this week?" He picked up the volleyball and threw it at him.

"Ow!" It hit his arm and bounced back. "How is that going to help?" He climbed down the fence gingerly and picked up the ball with his good foot. "Are you going to practice?" 

"Yeah." 

"I'll come and watch." 

Oikawa walked with him, trying to think of something to say. "How'd the art trip go? I haven't seen you since then." 

"It was alright." Iwaizumi looked up at him and added, slightly awkwardly, "I had lunch at Hiroko's place, afterwards." He kicked a rock while he spoke. 

"Oh, did you?" So there was something to it. "You know, she's really pretty, but she doesn't pay attention to me at all."

"I think girls are nicer when you're not being annoying with your face, or sulking because they don't notice you, or pretending to be really great at volleyball. Dumbass," Iwaizumi said. 

"Hey! who says I'm pretending? Also, is 'dumbass' the only insult you've got?" 

"Don't get me started." 

So: they were almost back to normal, probably. 

.

When he remembered kissing Iwaizumi he mostly remembered how wrong it felt -- all wrong. Kissing girls made him feel strong, made him feel great; but kissing Iwaizumi made him feel weak, uncertainty and unsteadiness spreading into every corner of his body. 

Jeez, he thought, rolling over in bed, staring at the ceiling. Don't think about that sort of thing. Iwaizumi was a good spiker even when they were kids; he'd get the other team up on their guard; he never stopped being casually good, like he didn't even have to think about it. 

He was always there for Oikawa, too, dragging him away from practice when he needed it, tolerating it when he didn't. Iwaizumi was the greatest best friend ever, and Oikawa really ought to find a way to show how much he liked him.

That didn't involve kissing him. 

.

The next day, when he stopped in for practice again, he heard girls making excited noises and cheers, and the opposing team turning to stare at him. He stilled and smiled at them; it was an entrance, after all. 

"Oikawa! You're back," the coach said. "How's the ankle?" 

Oikawa stretched, preened, smiled, and made a cheery gesture. "It's fine. I can get back to regular practice. It was just a slight sprain." 

"For crying out loud! Be careful. You're the one that asked to play against Kageyama. What would we do without our official setter? It's embarrassing."

"I'm sorry." 

"Oikawa-san, take care of yourself!" one of the girls called from the stands area. He waved, then went to talk to the team, cheering up the first-years, and talking about how they just needed a few more points, taking care to act like his normal self. 

Across the net, he could see Kageyama glaring at him. 

"Hi Tobio-chan," Oikawa said cheerfully. "Long time no see. It's so nice to see you. You still doing the King thing?" 

Kageyama glowered silently at him. 

Coach said, "Anyway, go get warmed up. Even more than usual." 

"Yes, coach." As he walked away he could hear the bald guy from Karasuno hiss, "I'm crushing him. I'm serious." Oikawa watched the game from the sidelines; he stretched his arms, shoulders, legs a bit. His ankle felt fine now. Actually: he felt great today. He came back to the court, looking at the score. "Oh, my. It seems like we're in a crisis." 

"Did you get warmed up?" 

"Perfectly." 

"Alright, you can serve." 

Was it just his imagination, or did Kunimi give him a slightly odd glance when he handed him the ball? No: just a polite nod as they passed each other. Oikawa got a good spin on the serve, and landed it exactly where he wanted it.

After the match, he and Iwaizumi were tossing volleyballs back into the bin in silence, throwing out conversational gambits that went nowhere. Finally Iwaizumi finally said, "Kageyama has become more amazing." Relieved, Oikawa picked up the conversation. 

"Yeah. That genius was spinning his wheels. No one can hold a candle to him now." 

"Yeah? You're no match for him either, huh?" 

"When it comes to the toss. No one can match that. But he's not better than me at serving, blocking, or spiking -- ouch!" Iwaizumi had smacked a volleyball into his back. "What was that for?" 

"Damn it, Oikawa. Don't say his toss is better than yours. You're a setter, aren't you?" 

"But I'm only being honest. That's why we have to break their receives..." he went on about this point, maybe getting a little fanciful, and caught Iwaizumi staring at him. "What? Geniuses get irked by stuff like that." 

"I get more irked by guys who get cheered on by girls," Iwaizumi said.

It was a casual line, and there was a response to this; but Oikawa couldn't process it quickly enough. 

Finally, he said, "You shouldn't be jealous, Iwa-chan." 

He could see their teammates starting to pay attention, starting to turn and stare at them. 

Iwaizumi went pink, grabbed a volleyball and threw it into him. Oikawa yelped, and caught it. "Hey! I'm just saying -- it's embarrassing --" as Iwaizumi tried to wrestle the ball back from him before he could hit him back. 

"Hey, quit fooling around," Makki finally yelled. "Coach'll get mad." 

.

"Spikers are all different," Oikawa said to the second-year setter as he was demonstrating tosses the next day at practice. "Once you're able to bring out 100% of the strengths of each and every one of them is when you'll be a true setter."

"Hey, that last one was a bit low," Iwaizuimi said behind him as he was walking past the net. 

"Don't care, Iwa-chan." 

"Hey!" 

"What? No one cares about yours, you usually get them regardless -- by the way, I'm busy teaching an important lesson here --"

Iwaizumi smacked him with a volleyball.

The next time they had practice and when they went out for a run, Iwaizumi was wearing his jacket. Iwaizumi pulled on things casually, and he wouldn't pay attention to stuff like a captain's initials on a team jacket; Oikawa hadn't said anything to him, either.

In the corner of his eye, Oikawa saw that their libero Watari had noticed that Iwaizumi was wearing Oikawa's jacket; he was staring.

.

"Hey," he heard one of the first years say, when he was doing serve practice. They seemed to be in the corner, stretching. "Is it true about Oikawa-san?" 

"Probably?" the other first-year answered. "He always goes to extremes." The ball hit the net. 

.

Then there was the tiniest glance from Iwaizumi after Oikawa slammed a serve down and smiled in satisfaction. And the way he watched when Oikawa teased girls and got surrounded by his fan club between classes. Oikawa, who never missed anything, thought: he's thinking about it too.

I just can't get it out of my mind. 

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'ed, to be continued. alsacet @ tumblr, suggestions/comments welcome.


End file.
